How did our town rate?

Merchantville ranked 221/566 statewide and 16th of 37 in the county in New Jersey Monthly’s 2010 Top Towns list. Researchers at Monmouth University’s Polling Institute considered eight categories best representing the quality of life in New Jersey’s 566 municipalities: population growth, home values, property taxes, land development, employment, crime rate, school performance, and proximity to services. In response to this news Mayor Frank North credited former Mayor Patrick Brennan and his Council for having had the foresight to kick start redevelopment and improvement in the borough. Their commitment to thinking outside the box and taking calculated risks helped prevent Merchantville from becoming just one more old town with boarded up storefronts and large, old homes turned into apartments and boarding houses. Today, with the help of many on Council and a great group of volunteers the mayor is fostering a continuation of the dreams and goals of the last decade in the hope of keeping Merchantville the kind of vibrant, small town where people want to live and raise a family.